


A Summer By Your Side

by writtensmitten



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Eventual Romance, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-21 23:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13154265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writtensmitten/pseuds/writtensmitten
Summary: In which Archie and Jughead find themselves enraptured in each other for one summer. Or more?Set just after S1E7, when Jughead moves in with Archie. Ignores most of the death, drama, and danger of the rest of the show to focus on these two just being kids for once.





	A Summer By Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> This is really a very self-indulgent write that I churned out one evening and wanted to share. I'd like to continue. Please let me know what you think! More of a prologue than anything.

“He can stay with us, Mr. Jones.” The words replay in Jughead Jones’ head as he lay on the barely-10-inches-off-the-ground air mattress Archie spent 15 minutes manually inflating with quite possibly the oldest contraption Jughead has seen since the theatre closing. “We already offered.” He can hear it, as if Archie was softly whispering the sentiment directly into Jughead’s ears. Jughead never meant for any soul to know about, much less get involved with, his father’s misbehavior. Then again the whole town knew, Riverdale High included, about FP Jones’ dangerous track record. But, Betty… Archie… They never once questioned him about it. It was rare for Jughead to ever admit this out loud but he had good friends. A good group, no matter how dysfunctional they could be. And at the center of all that, Archie Andrews. Always there, always willing to help. Whether it’s Archie feeling that he must shoulder the debt of FP Jones for his own father’s sake, or whether he truly cares for Jughead, he doesn’t know. But what Jughead does know, is that for once in a long ass time, he has a stable roof over his head, and a foundation beneath him.  


“You up?” Jughead finds himself wondering quietly at just past 1 o’clock in the morning, staring absentmindedly at the slow-moving fan above him. He hears the shuffling of bedsheets and a soft voice.

“Yeah. What’s up?” Archie asks, turning on his side to glance down at Jughead, whose attention remains on the dizzying object attached to the ceiling. There’s a long pause between the two of them, and Archie is just about to settle back into his previous sleeping position facing the wall when he hears Jughead’s shaky breathing.

“Thank you. For taking me in, man.” Jughead murmurs. Archie sits up a little bit more, using his elbow as an anchor as he watches Jughead’s eyes blink slowly from tiredness, and not just from lack of sleep but from clear exhaustion from everything that he’s been through in the last few days, months, years, even.

“Are you kidding me?” Archie asks, eyes never leaving Jughead’s nearly expressionless face. “I’m just glad you’re safe, Jug. You always have a place here. Ever since we were kids. You know that.” Jughead nods so slightly that if Archie had blinked he may not have noticed the gesture. After a few more beats of silence, Archie retreats back under his comforter. “Goodnight.” He whispers. Another few moments go by.

“Goodnight,” Jughead mumbles, quiet enough that Archie isn’t sure if he’s imagined the response. The two boys lay motionless for the rest of the night until the each of them eventually succumb to the embrace of deep sleep.

 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

The school year finally rounds out and fades into summer vacation and Jughead and Archie have started up a familiar routine. Waking up at well-past noon, eating cereal for lunch, watching cartoons or whatever else is on TV in that time, sometimes working for Fred in the afternoon-evening or working on their own respective hobbies of music and writing, playing video games until around 3am, falling asleep, and then doing it all over again in the morning. Archie’s missed the company of another human being. Ever since Ms. Grundy he’s been quietly broken inside, waiting for something to fill that gap. But Jughead isn’t Ms. Grundy-shaped, he’s a whole other being entirely. He fills that gap and then some, covering spaces that Archie didn’t know existed. And for the first time in a long time, Archie’s happy. And Jughead is too.

They hang out. A lot. And it feels like everything’s gone back to normal, back to what it was like before Ms. Grundy, before lies and before all the secrets between them. Back to the way things are supposed to be. Only, it’s different. For Archie, at least. Every now and then he catches a glimpse of Jughead in the right light, or one of his iconic little smirks, and Archie’s heartstrings pull for just a moment. And he wonders what that is, and why that happens, but he doesn’t press it. Doesn’t tell Jughead about them. Doesn’t want to mess up what they have. Hopes that they’ll always have what they have. Knows that they won’t.

Jughead smiles a lot. It’s reminiscent of how Jughead behaved when Jellybean and his mom were still around. When he still had a family that wasn’t broken into little pieces that he’s always puttering around trying to sweep up and fit back together again all by himself. They talk a lot. About life, about family, about love. What it all means to be put on this planet. About whether or not they think FP means it this time when he says he’ll do what Jughead wants, get his act together. About Betty and her confession, and how Archie shouldn’t feel bad about not reciprocating her feelings. About how Jughead’s never felt that way and wouldn’t know the difference if it bit him in the ass. About the future, and what it might look like for either of them.

“Oh, you’ll be a published author. That’s a no-brainer.” Archie chirps, tossing a football up and down and thinking about all the time Jughead’s spent with his face glued to his computer screen. He wonders if there are writings he’s never read, and if Jughead would ever share those. Or if there are certain pieces that are never meant to be seen by anyone but himself. And if so, Archie would like to be an exception to that rule.

“Maybe I just want to brood through angsty poetry all my life and never publish anything.” Jughead suggests as he shoots Archie a sarcastic look with an eyebrow raise.

“Well, you do you, Jughead. But I think the world would be missing out on a lot.” Archie shoots back, catching the football with both hands and squeezing it tight. “I just don’t know where I’m going, you know? You have all this raw talent for writing, and my music… I’m only just starting out. How can I know if it’s enough?”

“What?” Jughead gasps. “Archie Andrews, football adonis and musical God isn’t confident in his own ability? Color me shocked, Arch. Shocked.” He teases, standing up to begin changing into pajamas by shirking off his top. Archie tries not to think about how his eyes are magnetically drawn to Jughead’s freckled stomach.

“Come on, Jug. You know that’s not me. Any of those adjectives.” Archie replies, fiddling with the stitching on his football. He swallows hard. “Sometimes I think that I really will just end up working at Andrews Construction for the rest of my life. I mean, it is my namesake.” Jughead sighs loudly and wanders over to Archie’s bed, sitting at the edge of it and forcefully grabbing the football out of Archie’s grasp.

“And what if you do?” Jughead asks, twirling the football around in his hands. “What if you do, Archie? What if your music career doesn’t soar off? What if you’re dealt a bad hand? What if you do work at Andrews Construction into adulthood? You’ll find something to ground you. Someone, maybe. And you’ll keep pursuing your music. You’re not a quitter, Archie. Not so long as I’ve known you.” Jughead pushes the football into Archie’s chest and gives him a knowing look. “You’re never gonna stop making music. Now, stop feeling bad for yourself and play Call of Duty with me. I’m ready to kill some zombies.” Jughead grins and gestures towards the TV. Archie laughs and nods. Jughead always knows what to say to get him back on track.

“Sure, dude. Let’s play.” Archie replies, tossing a controller in Jughead’s direction and readying himself for another late-night game session with his best friend.


End file.
